Dad Demands RM3 Million From UUM Over Daughter's Death Due To Electrocution In Dormitory
The victim, Vinosiny R Sivakumar, died on 21 May 2022.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 05 Mar 2024, 11:53 AM
A father is demanding compensation of RM3.05 million from a local university after his daughter died from electrocution in a dormitory in Kedah two years ago
The claim was made by 55-year-old R Sivakumar Rajoo, who named Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) as the defendant, reported the New Straits Times.
His daughter, Vinosiny R Sivakumar, died at the university's dormitory on 21 May 2022. She was 21 years old.
The lawsuit was filed by the law firm Tetuan M Manoharan & Co at the Alor Setar High Court on 28 February.
According to the father, an investigation conducted by the police and a post-mortem concluded that Vinosiny died of electrocution.
"Further, the Sessions Court judge in Alor Setar, acting under Section 333 of the Criminal Procedure Code, ascertained that electrocution was the cause of Vinosiny's death.
"This was confirmed in a letter dated 1 Februray 2023 from the deputy registrar of the Alor Setar Sessions Court to the plaintiff," Sivakumar said.
The victim's father said the university had the responsibility to ensure his daughter's safety from electrocution in the dormitory
"The defendant, as the owner of the said dormitory, owed a statutory duty to all lawful occupants of its dormitories under the provisions of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 and the Electricity Regulations of 1994 to maintain the electrical installations of the dormitory.
"In breach of its duty in negligence and/or its statutory duty, the defendant failed to ensure that Vinosiny was safe from electrocution and/or failed to maintain the electrical installations [of the dormitory] in proper order, thus causing Vinosiny to be electrocuted, resulting in her death," read the plaintiff's statement.
In February last year, Klang member of parliament V Ganabatirau raised Vinosiny's death in parliament, emphasising that the police had yet to conclude their investigation despite nine months having passed.
